The Relationship Between Reading Strategies, English Language Proficiency, And Reading Comprehension Among Chinese International Students in A Malaysian Public University
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which reading strategies and language proficiency in English affect reading comprehension among Chinese international undergraduates. The study objective is also to establish reading difficulties faced by these students and identify successful reading strategies they practised that affect their reading comprehension. The quantitative data collected through a questionnaire and a reading test. The findings employing SPSS (descriptive analysis) indicate how reading strategies and language proficiency collectively explain the variance in the students’ test results. Besides informing scholarly practices of academic reading, this research contributes to ESL curriculum development and teaching in that it highlights the crucial elements that need to be incorporated in an effective ESL academic reading module.
References
Allison, D. & Ip, K. S. (1991). Misreading Viewpoints: Reading Problems among ESL University Students in Hong Kong. Hongkong Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching, 14, 33-50.
Bachman, L.F. & Palmer, A.S. (1996). Language testing in practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Baker, L. & Brown, A.L. (1984). Metacognitive skills and reading. In P.D. Pearson (ed.), Handbook of reading research, 1, 353-394. New York: Longman.
Bartlett, F.C. (1932). Remembering. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, A. (1981). Metacognition in reading and writing: the development and facilitation of selective attention strategies for learning from texts. In M. Kamil (ed.), Directions in reading research and instruction. Washington D.C., National Reading Conference.
Carrell, P.L. (1989). Metacognitive awareness and second language reading. Modern Language Journal, 73, 120-133
Dabaghi, A. & Akvan, M. (2014). Explore the relationship between strategy use and ESP reading test performance of two university majors (humanities vs. science). Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(1), 121-128.
English, S. (2011). Strategy intervention and reading proficiency in the modern tertiary EFL classroom. Retreived from http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/waoe/englishs.html
Flavell, J.H. (1978). Metacognitive development. In J.M. Scandura & C.J. Brainerd (Eds.), Structural /process theories of complex human behavior (pp.213-245). The Netherlands: Sijthoff and Noordhoff.
Hosenfeld, C. (1977). A preliminary investigation of the reading strategies of successful and non-successful second language learners. System, 5, 110-123.
Mochizuki , A. (1999). Language learning strategies used by Japanese university students. RELC Journal, 30(2), 101-113.
Nacini, M. B. & Rezaei, R. (2015). Examining and dealing with the issue of reading strategy use by Iranian EFL learners. The Reading Matrix: An International Journal Online, 15(2), 182-195. http://www.reading matrix.com
Oxford, R.L., Nyikos, M., & Ehrman, M. (1988). Vive la difference? Reflections on sex differences in use of language learning strategies. Foreign Language Annals, 21(4), 321-329.
Paris, S.G., Wasik, B.A., & Turner, J.C. (1991). The development of strategic readers. In R. Barr, M.L. Kamil, P.B. Mosenthal, & P.D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research, Volume II (pp.609-640). New York: Longman.
Peacock, M. & ho, B. (2003). Student language learning strategies across eight disciplines. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(2), 179-200.
Phakita, A. (2003). A closer look at gender and strategy use in L2 reading. Language Learning, 53(4), 649-702.
Purpura, J. (1999). Learner characteristics and L2 test performance. In R.L. Oxford (Ed.), Language learning strategies in the context of autonomy, synthesis of findings form the international invitational conference on learning strategy research (pp.61-63). New York, NY: Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
Zare, P. & Othman, M. (2013). The relationship between reading comprehension and reading strategy use among Malaysian ESL learners. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(13), 187-193niversity